1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tools for removing lard from carcasses during meat processing.
2. Description of Related Art
One step required in the processing of hog carcasses is the removal of lard or fat which is found in two strips along the inner surfaces of the carcass halves. These strips are often referred to as the "leaf lard" due to their leaf-like shape in which the lard starts with a relatively narrow width near the lower end of a carcass suspended by its hind legs.
The leaf lard is typically removed by loosening the lower edge of the lard, then pulling it upwards--which causes it to peel away from the inner side of the carcass. A tool for use with this method is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,856 which describes a tool that grips the lard, coupled with a vertical piston assembly that provides an upward force to peel the lard away from the carcass.
One difficulty with this process is that it becomes progressively more difficult to pull the leaf lard away from the carcass as the width of the leaf lard increases. This will occasionally cause the relatively narrow starting end of the leaf lard to rupture as the force required to peel the leaf lard increases.
A solution to this problem is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,588 which uses an automatically positioned lard remover with a rotary driven head to wind the lard onto the head. The winding action prevents the lard from being torn at the starting point and provides a progressively better grip as the lard is wound onto the head. A problem with this tool, however, is that the lard must be removed from the tool by sliding or pulling it off the end of the winding head, or by manually unwinding it from the head.
Removal of the wound up lard from the end of the tool by pulling it off the head causes several problems. A particular difficulty is that this removal method limits the shape of the head. The head must be relatively smooth and shaped to allow the lard to slide off. This conflicts with the requirement that the head adhere to the lard in order to wind it onto the head. The tool described in this patent uses vacuum to adhere the lard to a relatively smooth head. This requires a separate vacuum system and a vacuum line running to the head which increases the cost and complexity of the tool and which limits its maneuverability in a non-automated setting.
In automatic processing, pulling the lard off requires that the tool be repositioned to elements that grab the lard to pull it from the end of the head. This takes time which can slow the processing operation. Manually unwinding the lard from the head after it has stopped takes even longer and is not suitable for modern processing operations.
Bearing in mind the problems and deficiencies of the prior art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a leaf lard remover tool that winds the lard onto a head, then automatically removes the lard by unwinding.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a leaf lard remover tool that can be positioned by hand to accommodate different size carcasses.
A further object of the invention is to provide a leaf lard remover tool that does not require a vacuum system to adhere the lard to the head.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a leaf lard remover tool that does not damage the carcass or backbone area when the tool is used.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.